Annette Sills

The Relative Harmony of Julie O'hagan Annette Sills

Julie O'Hagan is worried. It's time for daughter Bridget to start school. The ordinary suburb where Julie was raised is not that ordinary any more. Organic eateries and wine bars have opened everywhere and the Broccoli Brigade have moved in, education and media vegetarian types in beanie hats with hummus guzzling kids who are taking up all the places at Broadoak, the best primary. Husband Billy is loving, clever and looks like an Irish Jim Morrison but he is prone to depression and mood swings. He is adamant Bridget will not go to St. Joseph's, the local Catholic school, and Julie is equally determined she will not end up in Priory Road, her old primary. The hunt for a school for Bridget triggers memories of schooldays for both Billy and Julie. This is the story of their struggle to make sense of what happened to them in the past.